Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter | Tyranena Brewing Company

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Thanks to seeswo for the opportunity to try this one. Pours two shades shy of black with a thin band around the edges of the bowl. No head or lacing on this one, just a slightly oily slick across the surface. Big barrel-aged nose, a trace of booze/ethanol - extremely sweet, with aromas of brown sugar, molasses, a slightly vinous quality and raisins and prunes. Taste is more subdued than suggested by the nose - dark chocolate comes out and the barrel-aged quality dissipates. Some roast is also expressed as the brew warms. All this on a rich and malty backbone. Mouthfeel is medium-light (but closer to light), with a slightly oily/slightly watery consistency. Carbonation is light and even with a little dryness at the finish that seems attributable to the alcohol. A solid brew - not my favorite from this brewer, but quite good and with a well-hidden abv.

Pours black with a medium-sized blanket of light brown foam. Good head retention. Lots of fine bubbles cling together in clumps as I work my way through the glass. The aroma has a lot of chocolatey malt with a healthy dose of rye spice and some nice though mild barrel characteristics. I'm also getting some coffee, blackberries, dates and blueberries. The barrel-aging contributes a sweet, vanilla rye flavor. It's very toned down, which I generally like. Taste-wise, it's sweet and rich. Lots of fruit and chocolate. More rye spice. Light oak with that pleasant vanilla-forward spirit flavor. Mouthfeel is smooth and fairly thick. Another solid beer from Tyranena, though I still prefer Devil Made Me Do It by a bit.

12oz. bottle into shaker pint on 4/18/09. Thanks to akorsak for sharing.

A - Poured a dark brown body with thin quarter-inch tan head that receded to a patchy film and left behind some spotty lace.

S - Vanilla and oak up front with hints of chocolate and iced coffee. Some roasty malt and earthy hop notes also emerge.

T - Chocolatey and malty with an oaky character that provides a slight dryness. Subtle bitter coffee notes emerge in the middle that are complemented by vanilla sweetness. Minimal alcohol presence. Finishes with a roasted malt character and a good bit of earty hop bitterness.

M - Medium to full-bodied with a slick, oily texture and creamy mouthfeel. Slightly dry finish with moderate bitterness and mild alcohol sting on the palate.

D - Very drinkable, unique brew with lots of flavors that complement each other. Another fine offering from Tyranena's Brewers Gone Wild series.

A: Black--quite black--with a great medium tan head that has amazing, steady retention

S: The spicy rye quality is first evident but then the whiskey comes sweeping in; there is also a steady roasted malt presence and coffee seems to peak through at the last moment

T: The rye and whiskey hit the taste buds first but that's followed by a wave of flavors from vanilla to chocolate to coffee to roasted--and perhaps a bit burnt--malts; very good flavors but there is a subtle watery thinness that distracts a bit

F: Creamy but yet again, thin toward the end

D: A very drinkable, strong porter with little effect--in the flavors--from the alcohol; good porter...damn good

Taste: Chocolate and rye mostly, hints of vanilla and dark fruit. The whiskey is pretty subdued,when it even shows up. Maybe they should have went with a 50/50 blend. Thick, creamy, full bodied.

I really like this but think High Class Broad was a little better(from my limited Tyranena experience.) I'd like a little more whiskey and if it wasn't mentioned I'd have no idea this had any barrel aging involved.

T- A sharp dark fruit is met with a dry roasted malt flavor. Big hits of cocoa. The rye is subdued in the background, but it seems to be prefectly balanced. The oak brings out a very nice vanilla profile. The whiskey aging is much better balanced than many other barrel aged beers on the market. Very unique here and also very good. I quite enjoyed this one.

A: I know that barrel aged beers don't generally have good head retention, but I still wish there was more. Nice dark brown body with barely any light getting through.

S: It's not quite strong enough for me, but still nice. A touch of whiskey is in there with a nice maltiness.

T: The rye whiskey is much more prominant in the flavor than the aroma. It might be a bit over the top, but it's still tasty. Initially, there is a good malty presence from the porter and then the whiskey hits, lasts a second, and then everything fades into a nice light roastiness.

M: Medium bodied initially but seems to thin out at the back of the palate. That seems typical of BA beers.

D: Not too shabby. I was worried about the rye adding too much spiciness but I didn't find that at all. A very enjoyable beer.

Appearance
Opaque black brown with a beautiful thick tan/cream head that's slow to develop but rushes in after the pour. Fun to watch. Drink me!

Aroma
Roasted rye malts, hints of smooth roast coffee and chocolate. A substantial thwack of alcohol to the nose.

Taste
Wow this is a unique porter. A bit hotter on the alcohol than I was expecting due to aging but it works well with the beer and doesn't overpower. The roasted rye character is a unique characteristic of this beer and is very interesting, although it might be a bit much for some. It really cuts through the aftertaste for a new experience. Quite a bit of spice that builds throughout the beer. Some woody profiles towards the end. Not much in the way of hops. I wish the notes of chocolate and coffee had played more prominently into the flavor profile.

Mouthfeel
Minimal carbonation and medium mouthfeel. This is spot on for a porter.

Drinkability/Overall Impression
A little too much rye for me to want to continue drinking this after one. It drinks well enough but the huge flavors of rye and barrel aged alcohol notes beg for a new experience after finishing the glass. The rye malts literally sits on your tonuge until the next sip and are a bit drying. Credit goes where credit's due however and this is a very unique offering from Tyranena that will keep me as a patron of their Brewers Gone Wild series.

Poured into a silver-rimmed Westvleteren Chalice. Poured a deep brown with surprisingly little head. A small amount of ruby comes through when held up to the light...but just a little!

The first sniff was extremely heavy on the vanilla - whew! I was surprised to get no part of the barrel...so I kept trying - but no luck. It almost smells sweet, but more overly malty. A small amount of molasses and chocolate are present as well.

The beer is dominated by the malts. Although there is a bit of vanilla in there, it's not nearly what the smell would leave one to believe. The rye does offer a woody taste to the beer. Combined, these mask the alcohol quite impressively, and make for a very tasty brew.

A medium-bodied beer that is fairly heavy, with a small amount of carbonation.

Overall a very solid beer. I certainly wouldn't mind having a few of these in my fridge to enjoy from time to time. Thanks again, brewCzar!

Pours ruddy black with a thin layer of tan bubbles. Nose is fairly closed but smells of black coffee and dark pumpernickel bread. Palate is full bodied but lifted or ethereal at the same time, presumably because of the alcohol content. Flavors of toasty bread, bitter chocolate malt balls, and spicy rye. Carbonation is all but non-existent. Sharp alcohol bites the tip of the tongue.

The Whiskey barrel part escaped me until I lre-read the lable and saw that the used Rye Whiskey barrels. The spicy rye is largely present, but I figured it was from the malt, not the barrel.

Nicely balanced between sweet, spicy and bitter. Thick and rich but spicy and sharp at the same time.

A- I am a sucker for a dark beer. The body of this beer is black with just a tiny amount of ruby opaqueness to light. The head is thick and a very dark tan almost brown in color. Nice head retention noted. Very thick lacing noted as this beer rapidly vanishes before my eyes.

S- The aroma of the beer consist of darkly toasted, roasted and lightly chared malt, nice cocoa and lightly roasted coffee. A very subtle whiskey aroma rattles around in the aroma.

T- Nicely executed! Dark roasted malts hit all the right dark semi sweet cocoa, coffee and dark fruited notes. A bit of vanilla and a pretty strong whiskey component play about my mouth.

M- The body of the beer is medium and lightly carbonated. Alcohol is nowhere in the mouth. Very satisfying.

O- Tyranena has a wonderful porter as a base to play with. I have enjoyed many variations on the porter and look forward to more. Well done.

Picked this up during my "make a sixer" fest in Madison. Thanks to Steve's Liquors - great people. Since then, Tyranena is in Chicago and I'm looking forward to trying more of their brews.

A: Poured from a 12oz bottle, the color is dark reddish brown - almost black. The head was small, coffee stained and creamy. It dissipated quickly to a ring and a dusting. Glows reddish when held up to the light and has some mahogany on the edges. No lacing to speak of.

S: Whiskey type burn in the rose but does also have a deep roasty malt in the background. Booze is definitely the victor in this battle though.

T: Roasty burned malt flavor which is quickly taken over by the whisky flavor. The booze attacks the palet. The finish and aftertaste is a dry, roasty, coffee/dark chocolate/vanilla with the booze sticking around. A very robust flavor. Roastiness came through stronger as the drink progressed.

M: Nice creamy mouth feel that makes the medium body feel fuller. There is a prickliness from the alcohol and low carbonation.

D: I'm someone who doesn't enjoy overly boozy beer but this was very drinkable. Having said that, I did find that the booze did get in the way of appreciating the porter aspect of the brew. Very nice beer.

Bottled April 08, 2011. Served in a small pour brandy snifter and enjoyed on 01/31/12.

Appearance: Pours a jet black color with a finger of creamy tan head that slowly settles into a ring around the glass. The beer is opaque with a microscopic thin layer of brown highlights atop the glass when held up to light. Average lacing as the beer is consumed, though the receding head from the pour left a solid coating of creamy lacing along the side of the glass. 4/5

Taste: Loads of chocolate flavors and roasted malt with a rye finish. A light amount of dark roast coffee comes out on the midpalate and towards the finish. The chocolate flavors seem like a blend of milk chocolate, dried cocoa mix and chocolate milk. A very mellow Jack Daniels-like whiskey flavor lingers in the background of the finish along with creamy raw chocolate. The whiskey flavors are very subtle and complementary. Absolutely no alcohol is present in the taste, which was surprising given the "warm" alcohol esters of the aroma. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus mouthfeel, very light carbonation. Mouthfeel is smooth, rich and creamy. The mouthfeel seems to get thicker and creamier as the beer layers. Finishes dry and a touch bitter. 4.5/5

Overall: Easily the best beer that I have ever had from Tyranena, ahead of Hop Whore and Bitter Woman IPA. I am going to have to go back to the store and buy the rest of this currently out of production brew.

Recommendation: Fans of porters and stouts should seek this one out. This is one of Wisconsin's better craft beers.

Taste- Follows the aroma very well. Rye, toasted malts, subtle chocolate and roast. A little rye whisky, with hints of vanilla and possibly cherry. I tad spicy I suppose.

Mouthfeel- Velvety smooth. Not sure on the ABV’s but there is no heat at all.

Overall- I wanted to be blown away by this one. Rye aged in rye whiskey barrels, that’s one of my top 10 fantasies! Solid beer, but I was hoping for a bit more. I wish the rye was more predominant and added more of a spicy character to this, but that’s just me. Overall, another solid beer in the BGW series.

Taste: There's a nice combination of roasted malt and rye up front that sets the tone for some nice bitterness. The rye adds a spicy kick towards the middle. I'm definitely getting some oak from the barrels towards the back-end. The whiskey shows up in there as well, but it's pretty subtle. Pretty smooth and full bodied finish with nice lingering flavor.

Smell and Taste are very complex and take several takes to try and figure out what is going on here. I get notes of booze, lots of malt, coffee, dark chocolate, dark fruit. The rye whisykey is there but I felt it would be more of a player since it was put on the label. Feel is rich and luxurious. Coats the tounge and lets the flavors soak in.

This is a perfect nightcap beer. Farthest thing from a session beer. I wish I could enjoy another, but one is enough. For a brewery known as hop masters, this is a great beer to round them out to be know as masters. I look forward to the next Tyranena brew.

Appearance: Pours an espresso brown color with a sturdy beige head that throws a few shards of lace around the pint glass

Smell: Coffee, dark chocolate, molasses and charcoal

Taste: Opens with a fruity chocolate element that grows increasingly bitter and spicy by mid-palate, with molasses, vanilla and woody notes joining the fray; after the swallow, the wood and chocolate flavors mellow out the brew, with the spicy rye aspect lingering above

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation and some warmth

Drinkability: This beer took a while to settle down; when it was young the flavors were brash and somewhat unbalanced; with age, the flavors have mellowed and come together quite nicely

This is a deep, dark, brown colored liquid. Very close to black. A very thin head of foam covers the surface, not much more, but it sticks around, which is nice. Lacing is in sticky, medium-sized strands.

Nice chocolate notes and some cocoa powder come through. Light notes of dark coffee beans. Good traces of rye spiciness. Good oak and whiskey presence is still here.

The rye whiskey notes have begun to fade somewhat. It's still present, just much more mellow than when it was fresh. It's actually much better integrated, at this point. It blends much more evenly with the chocolate and coffee notes brought about by the porter, as well as the spiciness from the rye.
Very tasty and well-balanced.

This is medium-bodied with a medium-to-high carbonation level. It has a touch of 'prickliness' to it.

This is still tasty and drinkable, but I don't think that I'd hold onto it much longer (if I had anymore, that is). I think that it's at it's peak now and is about to start declining. Just my opinion, though.